Body Intelligence
"There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy." - Friedrich Nietzsche The mind seems to get all the credit for being wise and having intelligence, as if the body was an attachment along for the ride. This could be considered true since all the information gathered by the body through the senses has to be interpreted by the mind. Despite their differences, they both provide us with the mechanisms we need to navigate this life. Recently my daughter shared something interesting. She had broken up with a boyfriend, and she told me that reactions in her body were the first signals telling her she needed to end the relationship. "The body is the first boundary- before language, before thought, before autonomy, the body knows how to say no." - Ailey Jolie, MCP, MA This made me wonder why that is. The mind will give you logic and cognitive thinking but the body reacts much quicker, way before the mind can comprehend what is happening. This is why you will pull quickly back from danger without having to take the time to reason through the process. What about other things the body wants to tell us, like this person is unsafe or this is not the right job for you? How does the body get our attention?
There are many references to a connection between the body, mind, and soul but it is important to remember that they operate synergistically. If one goes down, the others are affected. "Body wisdom is the language of the soul, whispered through the sensations, symptoms, and movements of our physical being. It's the profound connection between our inner world and our physical vessel, a dance of the body and soul." - Renae Teel The body will speak to you through sensations, your feelings and emotional reactions. It will speak to you through symptoms, such as butterflies in the stomach, depression, or chronic disease. Mental and spiritual sickness can show in your movements and facial expressions as body language (RBF anybody?) Learning to observe feelings, symptoms, and how movement affects you will help you mitigate issues before they become a crisis and allow you to become whole, operating at your full potential.
Feelings- One of my strategies for reaching my goal of not being so sad this year was to allow myself to feel feelings, no matter how unpleasant (see Happy New Year? post, strategy #2- Feel it). It turns out that this is how your body tries to signal the mind that something needs to be paid attention to. When a feeling is noticed, it needs to be acknowledged and then an attempt to understand what it is trying to tell you should be made. "Listen to your body's wisdom, which expresses itself through signals of comfort and discomfort. When choosing a certain behavior, ask your body, 'How do you feel about this?' If your body sends a signal of physical or emotional distress, watch out. If your body sends a signal of comfort and eagerness, proceed." - Deepak Chopra When my body is sending me sadness signals such as tightness in my chest, numbness, restlessness, or tears, I then have to process the why. This gets tricky as the body stores experiences, (especially trauma), so then you get to think. It could be that I was triggered and my body is remembering a past event where I felt longing, disappointment, grief, or loss that I never processed. It could also mean that I need connection, rest, or time to express myself through journaling, art, or movement. As you can see, there is no easy way to understand feelings without concentrated effort on your part, and the longer that you have ignored them, the more there are to try and sort through.
Symptoms- We can use movement of the body to help us change parts of us that might be stuck or need healing. "Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states." - Carol Welch I have seen several advertisements about somatic workouts (somatic refers to things related to the body). These workouts use body movement to work through past stress and trauma that have been stored in the body. There is also Somatic psychology, which is the study of the mind/body connection, and helps people reconnect with their bodies. This is not a new philosophy. The ancient yogis knew this, "An over-active mind is a symptom of an unchallenged body." - unknown. Breathwork, meditation, posture, body awareness, strength, flexibility (especially of the spine), and balance work, all help to relieve stress and promote mental clarity. Martial arts, such as Tai chi and Qigong, also integrate these actions to make the mind/body connection.
Movement- Your body language is a physical manifestation of your subconscious state peeking out and giving away your secrets. Your mental state, intentions, and overall well-being are not as private as you would like to think. Body language can be controlled and improved. By developing better habits, your mental and emotional states improve right along with the body. Your subconscious has your best interests at heart and is constantly working on solving problems in your life. It functions as a bridge between the body and mind and can be used when your mind is not helping. This connection becomes apparent when doing mundane tasks, and the answer your brain could not consciously produce suddenly is there. "Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain." - Carl Jung Leonardo da Vinci drew sketches to help him develop ideas and work through problems that he could not solve through language.
Pay attention to the signals your body is giving off and use them to make decisions. "You will know you made the right decision; you feel the stress leaving your body, your mind, your life." - Brigitte Nicole Some physical cues are rapid heartbeat, a sick feeling in your stomach, headaches, tightness in your shoulders. If you pay attention, your body will let you know that you may be doing something that is not honest or in line with your values. "When one is pretending, the entire body revolts." - Anais Nin Your brain, though, will often talk you into situations the body told you to avoid. Try not to let its voice or the voices in there that belong to society, drown out your body's wisdom.
"Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own." -Kurt Vonnegut: 1922-2007 Valuing something means that you will love and take care of it. Play, eat like you love yourself, get enough rest. Spend time unplugged from screens and sound so you can focus on your feelings and body sensations. Maybe put a post-it note on your mirror that asks "How do you feel about this?" to remind yourself to listen to what your body is trying to tell you. Your own body holds enough mysteries for you to discover that you could be fascinated with it for the rest of your life. If you liked the quotes used in today's post, I have a free printable quote sheet here.
Love and Hope,
Big Sky Baby